Meatless Monday: Hail to Kale Salad
By Jamie Webber
When it comes to eating raw kale (Tuscan cabbage), you either love it or hate it. But this salad may change the minds of those who don’t like it too much into an “I love it!” I know it did for me. I used to only consume kale in green juices, as kale chips, blended in my favorite Get Your Greens Smoothie, or simply sauteed in a pan with a little coconut oil. Raw was not my thing. Thankfully, this recipe (originally adapted from Oh She Glows), turned me on to eating kale RAW! The Tahini-Lemon Dressing marinates the kale to wilt perfectly giving it a softer consistency.
This salad is loaded with a variety of nutrients, not only from the kale but from all of the other goodies added to make it delightfully delicious and colorful. It’s one of my favorite salads to make for a Sunday night dinner for me and my fiance because I’ll have enough leftovers to bring it for lunch on Monday and Tuesday!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of kale (Tuscan cabbage), leaves only (save stems for juicing)
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin circles
- 1 handful dried cranberries or blueberries
- 1 red bell pepper (capsicum), chopped and seeds removed
- 1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1 small box chopped grape tomatoes (or other variety)
- 1 large handful goji berries
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts* I normally only need to use about 3/4 of the kale bunch and I save the extra leaves for a juice or smoothie the next morning.
Dressing : Tahini-Lemon Dressing
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) tahini
- 2 garlic cloves
- fresh lemon juice from 2 lemons
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or a bit more, to taste
- 2-4 tbsp (30 – 60 ml) extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- pinch of sea salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tbsp (45 ml)water
Directions
1. Tear the leaves off of the kale and rip into bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry kale leaves then add to large salad bowl.
2. Chop vegetables and mix with kale in the large salad bowl. Sprinkle hemp seeds and walnuts on salad right before serving to avoid sogginess.
3. Add all ingredients for the dressing into a food processor or high-powered blender and process until smooth.
4. Mix the vegetables, kale leaves, and full batch of dressing (3/4-1 cup) in the bowl until thoroughly combined.
5. Place in fridge to ‘marinate’ for 10-15 minutes.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 540
Fat: 33g
Trans Fat: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 80mg
Carbohydrates: 54g
Fiber: 10g
Sugars: 30g
Protein: 15g